Shopping carts are typically shipped and stored in a retail store in a nesting fashion where the basket and frame of a cart are inserted into, and trapped within, the basket and frame of a cart in front of it. As a result, the carts fit together so that their nested length is much less than if the carts were merely placed nose to tail. With regard to the basket, this typically accomplished by providing a basket rear wall or gate that is attached to the handle or remaining portion of the basket by a hinge at the top so that the gate swings upward and rests upon the top edge of at least one of the rear cart's basket side walls as it is pushed into the basket of the forward cart.
The “nesting distance” of the carts is defined as the horizontal distance between the axes of rotation (i.e. axles) of the rear wheels/casters of the nested carts. The nesting distance of prior art shopping carts is typically in the range of ten to eleven inches.
A shopping cart having a reduced nesting distance would reduce the amount of retail floor space required for shopping cart storage. This would be particularly advantageous in smaller retail establishments such as pharmacies and dollar stores. In addition, a shopping cart having a reduced nesting distance would provide improved logistics with regard to packing, loading and shipping.
A need therefore exists for a shopping cart that provides a reduced nesting distance.